Before we jump into the top 5 tools I use day-in-and-day-out in my own business, you’re probably realizing right about now that there’s a lot more to running a photography business than you originally signed up for. Amen, sister, I’m with ya.

There’s photos to edit, emails to respond to, sessions to book, marketing to do, social media to keep up with, gifts to send out, networking, etc. And somehow you’re supposed to have a social life outside of all of that? Psh, please! 

Thankfully, I’ve found SO many tools that help to either automate, delegate, or eliminate tasks in my business, and for them I’m forever grateful. It took a lot of researching and testing to find these little top 5 tools, but I’ve been using them for quite a while now, and definitely couldn’t stay on top of things or run my business the same without them!

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1. Honeybook

 

I will preach about Honeybook and how much it’s changed my biz until I can’t anymore. This is how I manage all of my clients projects, (from sending brochures to pricing guides, to taking payments up-front and getting contracts signed – this is the powerhouse behind the JVP brand!) 

I have an entire blog post all about how I use Honeybook to manage my photography business right here, and a discount code for you to get 50% off of your first YEAR right here!

2. Showit

Showit is seriously the easiest website builder there EVER has been. Seriously. It’s drag and drop, (meaning you don’t have to know any code at all to use it. No, I’m not kidding.) Don’t wait any longer, get you a Showit template and a site launched asap, (you could seriously do it in a day!) 

There are tons of templates for sale on the showit site under “designs,” (and even some free ones,) or you could head to one of my fav designers and snag one from them! Here are some of my top recommendations: Refinery Original, Tonic Site Shop, and With Grace & Gold. 

3. Flodesk

Flodesk is the simplest, (and easiest to use,) email service provider on the market. It’s what I use to email my list every week, and it generates a TON of the profits behind JVP! 

Unlike other email marketing softwares, flodesk is drag & drop, and it actually allows you to create beautiful emails based off of the templates that are already built into the program. I wish this would’ve been around when I started, but you can bet your bottom dollar I switched to it as soon as I found it. 

Wait… why do you need an email list? Well, because you don’t own your Instagram. Or Facebook. Or Pinterest. See where I’m going with this? When you have an email list, you don’t have to fall prey to the algorithm every time Zuckerberg & his peeps decide to change it. You have a 100% chance of your emails landing in your subscribers inboxes, vs. a 20% chance (or whatever the number is,) of them happening to see your post, when they happen to be online.

4. Pic-time

 

Pic-time is my gallery delivery service, meaning it’s how I send photos to my clients! I’ve used a ton of gallery delivery services in the past, and Pic-time is hands down my fav. It’s easy to use, beautiful to navigate, and comes with some pretty awesome marketing tools to help sell your prints and albums easily.

5. Photomechanic

Photomechanic allows me to cull (or choose which images I want/don’t want,) through my sessions lightning fast. What used to take me hours, takes me minutes using this! I don’t know what the actual heck I was doing without it, but since adding it into my workflow I’ve saved hundreds of hours. If you’re interested in speeding up your workflow, (and saving your eyes,) check out this blog post about how I use Photomechanic in my business. 

*Disclaimer: This post includes some affiliate links, and I’d really appreciate it if you used ’em! Affiliate links help me continue to show up and serve you guys for free each week; so it’s a win/win. 

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Struggling with feeling confident while running your photography business? Download my free guide “TPP Roadmap” right here! (It’s gold friends!)

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Looking for more helpful photography tips? Feel free to binge on these blog posts, or pin ’em on Pinterest for later! ??

If you’re short on time, follow me on Pinterest – and you’ll get these kinda tips delivered straight to your feed! You know… when you’re scrollin’ through Pinterest with coffee in hand, ready to take on the day… or, procrastinate.

Whatevs. Pinterest biz sesh, anybody!? ??

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